


Family Matters

by russianmango



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:10:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/742937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/russianmango/pseuds/russianmango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pat was a little surprised Justin agreed to move in with him, let alone meet his parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Matters

Asking Justin to move in to Pat’s summer house in Buffalo had been a huge deal for both of them. Ever since the lockout, Pat realized how much he missed Justin when they weren’t together. Justin didn’t need too much talking to agree. However, explaining to his parents that he was moving to Buffalo would be hard. They decided to keep it quiet, tell people Justin was just spending time out of Michigan for the summer.

Despite not being comfortable telling his own parents, it didn’t take much to get Justin to agree to meet Pat’s family. Pat really just suggested it in passing, since his parent’s usually came to visit anyway. When Justin said yes, Pat quickly called his mom to plan their visit. Pat gave them two weeks to get settled in and prepare for the visit – also to give Justin a chance to change his mind, just in case.

The two weeks leading up to the visit were largely filled with unpacking and minor bouts of “what are we doing?” from Justin, but he didn’t change his mind. Justin knew how important family was to Pat, and it was to him as well, but meeting Pat’s parents meant the world to Pat, so it really wasn’t a huge deal. Only, that is was because if Justin didn’t make a good impression, his parents could hate him.

Pat kind of liked that Justin was nervous. He didn’t need to be, but it was nice to know Justin cared enough to be worried about meeting his parents. Not that Pat had any doubts, but it was a huge step for Justin and knowing that he was willing to meet his parents made Pat fall in love all over again.

They decided to only have Pat’s parents because it would be too much fuss all at once to have his sisters there. At least, that was Pat’s excuse. He really just didn’t want his sisters to scare off the best thing in his life. His sisters knew Pat was gay first, so in a way it was only fair that his parents get to meet his boyfriend first.

When Pat called his parents to tell them when to come over, Justin was standing in his boxers, debating which tie went with his suit.

“We’re having dinner here, you don’t need a suit or a tie,” Pat offered. “Just be yourself.”

“This is me,” Justin defended. “I always wear suits.”

“Just’, I’ve never seen you wear a suit unless you had to.”

“Fine, what do you suggest I wear?”

Pat looked around the closet before reaching in and picking out a dress shirt and a pair of jeans.

“Why these?” Justin asked, pulling on the pants.

“They make your butt look cute,” Pat answered.

“Really, Pat? I’m meeting your parents and you want me to wear pants that show off my ass?” Justin asked.

“Well, they’ll want to know why I’m with you.”

“Pat!”

Pat grinned and moved into Justin, kissing and biting at his lips. “I love it when you get all worked up,” Pat teased. Justin made a disapproving sound, but Pat just squeezed his butt before telling him to get dressed and meet him down stairs. It was really the best way to do things, half-naked Justin usually led to fully-naked Justin and then a fully-naked Pat, and there was just no time for that.

-          -

Pat was in the kitchen adding the finishing touches on the dinner they prepared when Justin came down; fully dressed, hair brushed, and looking like a scared little boy. “Relax, man,” Pat told him.

“I am relaxed.”

“And I’m Pavel Datsyuk,” Pat countered.

Justin sighed and sat at the counter. “Can you blame me?” he asked, playing with a stray noodle.

“Not really, but if you were meeting my sisters and they saw you so much as flinch they’d be all over you in a heartbeat.”

“Can I never meet them?” Justin asked and they both laughed. Justin had heard many stories of Pat and his sisters and he had an idea of what to expect, but even with the stories of Pat’s parents, it was hard to imagine what it’d be like in this situation.

Pat at least sympathized with Justin and started rubbing his shoulders to get him to relax. Justin was feeling pretty good, up until the doorbell rang.

"Rise and shine," Pat told Justin, lightly drumming on his back.

Justin braced himself while he prepared to meet Mr. and Mrs. Kane. Which was pretty much impossible, he decided, so he just stood behind Pat as he opened the door.

"Hi, guys," Pat greeted. Justin stepped back as Pat's parents stepped inside. "This is Justin," Pat added, big smile as he pulled Justin closer.

"Hi, Justin. It's nice to meet you," Pat's mom said and Justin shook her hand, saying "It's good to meet you, too, Mrs. Kane." He wasn't really sure of what to do, something he should have asked Pat beforehand.

Pat's mom smiled, “Please, call me Donna," she told him. Justin nodded, "Nice to meet you, Donna."

And then he shook hands with Pat's dad, "Sir," he greeted. "Justin," he got back. Mr. Kane's expression was serious, or at least unreadable. But then he cracked a bit of a smile and clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand. "Do you call him Patrick or Pat?" he asked.

"Pat, I guess," Justin answered. He hadn't actually thought of it, but Pat is what he went with.

"Then call me Patrick," Pat's dad offered.

"Nice to meet you, Patrick," Justin tried, stopping himself from saying ‘sir’ again.

"Now that the awkward intros are out of the way, who wants food?" Pat offered.

"What's for dinner?" Donna asked, following Pat to the kitchen.

"We made spaghetti," Pat answered proudly. "But if it sucks, Justin made it," he added.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Donna shook her head. Justin pulled out a chair for her, which earned a little laugh from Pat's dad, but he seated himself and Justin joined Pat to serve.

"Did I do okay?" Justin asked. Pat rolled his eyes as he started filling the plates. "You did fine, Justin. They won't be that hard on you. To be honest, they're probably just really happy neither of us can get pregnant."

"Pat!" Justin scolded.

"What? Do you know how many pregnancy rumors I had to deal with? I mean, they knew I was gay, but shit can happen, you know?" Pat shrugged. "Get the garlic bread?"

Justin went to the oven and pulled out the bread. "Sliced more?" he asked.

"Nah, that's fine... maybe for my mom," Pat answered.

Justin cut the one garlic bread and placed it on the sides of her plate. "I was just saying, it's still not easy for a parent to meet a boyfriend or girlfriend - even if they can't get pregnant."

"Just don't mention sex and you should be fine, okay?" Pat offered, taking two of the plates and walking to the table, setting it down in front of his seat, as well as Patrick Sr.'s. Justin followed, placing a plate in front of Donna, before his own and taking his seat across from Pat.

"This is really good, guys," Patrick Sr. complimented, "you made it?" he asked.

"Yep," Pat answered with a big smile, "Justin showed me how to make fresh sauce and everything."

"Do you cook a lot, Justin?" Donna asked. 

"A fair amount, yes. I like using fresh veggies when I can. Pat picked it up pretty quickly once I got him interested," Justin answered.

"I've never seen Pat cook a thing in his life," Patrick Sr. joked, "you sure we should eat this?"

"I cooked the sauce, he just cut the tomatoes," Justin added to the joke.

"Not fair, I can cook," Pat defended.

"Fine, fine. It's very good Pat," Patrick Sr. admitted. "So, Justin. What else do you like to do?"

"Sports, reading, just, um, hanging out, I guess?" Justin asked, unsure of what to add.

"So, it's you who got Pat reading?" Donna asked.

"I read," Pat defended.

"I don't know about that," Justin laughed, "I guess it's possible, though."

"You went to college, didn't you?" Patrick Sr. asked.

"Yes, Michigan State. Three years in class, but I’m still poking at it during the summers, mostly - I went to the AHL instead to get a better chance at the NHL, I guess."

"How is it that a Red Wing and a Blackhawk got together?" Patrick Sr. asked.

"Patrick," Donna warned.

"I'm just curious how they started dating," Patrick Sr. raised his hands.

Pat laughed, "We met in Juniors, so we were friends already. We started dating after I won the cup."

"That makes even less sense. And why are we just meeting him now?" Patrick Sr. asked.

"He congratulated me, we got a drink or two and ended up talking a lot. We wanted to take it slow and see how things would go before we got to meeting the parents," Pat defended.

"Are Justin's parents next?" Donna asked. Pat bit his lip, looking at Justin.

"They don't know about us," Justin answered. "I haven't told them I'm gay, either."

Everyone at the table could tell it was a sensitive issue, so Pat changed the subject. "I was surprised I got him to move in with me, let alone meet you guys," he somewhat joked.

"What made you agree to meet us?" Patrick Sr. asked with a small smile.

"I know how much family means to Pat and I agree with him, so it was important for me to meet you and later his sisters as well. I was a little reluctant, though." Justin admitted. "Parents aren't the easiest to win over, especially when you're supposed to be huge rivals."

"How does that work, anyway?" Donna asked. Both Pat and Justin smiled at the question.

"We kind of made it a game where we try to hit each other and the first hitter gets a beer, but it's not really an issue. When we play we're rivals, not friends," Justin explained.

"And your teammates, do they know?" Donna asked.

"Not really, Helm and Zetterberg found out, but I'm not really ready to announce it or anything," Justin answered.

"We weren't having sex," Pat pointed out.

"Pat!" Justin choked out.

"I mean when Helm and Zetterberg found out - we were just watching a movie on the couch," Pat clarified.

"That's nice," Donna replied, clearing her throat.

"They were okay with it and everything and the guys on the Hawks who know are fine. It gets interesting, sometimes," Justin added.

"I'll bet," Patrick Sr. commented.

"Him and Viktor are always at each other's throats, it's hilarious to watch," Pat laughed.

"Yeah, and you're the one who usually starts it," Justin rolled his eyes.

"That's because you look good when you fight."

"Boys," Donna laughed.

Pat looked around the table and shrugged. "It's not like you never told me stories about dad being hot and sticking up for you."

"Oh?" Patrick Sr. questioned, looking at his wife.

"I may have mentioned it once or twice," Donna admitted. "He and the girls asked about how we met, I wasn't going to lie to them," she defended.

"Oh, great," Patrick Sr. sighed. "Eighty per cent of that was a lie, Pat."

"I'm sure it was, twinkle-toes," Pat teased.

Justin smirked at the conversation going around and couldn't help but feel like he belonged. The awkwardness had faded away and everyone was being themselves.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters, Justin?" Donna asked after a conversation about Pat's sisters concluded.

"An older sister, Jamie - she's a teacher, as is my father" Justin answered.

"Oh, that's nice. Are you close with her?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, pretty close. She's four years older, so we've had our differences, but we've always been pretty close," Justin answered.

"That's good," Donna smiled.

"Yeah, it's always nice to have people supporting you," Justin added.

"I got your back, bro," Pat declared, which made Justin chuckle more than he intended to.

"We'll see," Justin shook his head.

"What? I fully support you," Pat defended. His father raised an eyebrow and Pat shrugged. "I'm very encouraging to people."

"I didn't say anything, Pat." Patrick Sr. replied.

"But you thought it," Pat pouted.

"That's enough, Patrick," Donna interrupted. Justin wasn't sure which Patrick she was talking to, but either seemed like a good choice. He could tell Pat's dad was somewhat competitive.

After dinner, Pat offered to take his parents on a tour of the house while Justin took on the dishes. Normally Pat would help him, but his parents hadn't seen how they set up the house since Justin moved in.

Donna agreed, but Pat's dad offered to help Justin, even insisting when Justin declined. So that was that. Justin was alone with Pat's dad in a room armed with utensils and cookware that could, in a pinch, double as weaponry.

"You can relax, Justin. I just want to talk for a minute," Pat's dad assured him (as if Justin trusted that).

"About what?" Justin asked, turning on the sink.

"I know how Pat can be, but he's also never brought anybody home before, so I wanted to get to know you a little bit."

"Okay, um, what do you want to know?" Justin asked.

"How serious are you and Pat?"

"We're living together; I think that's pretty serious. And I'm meeting you guys," Justin shrugged. He wasn't sure how to answer a question like that.

"I don't want my son getting hurt, Justin. Are you as serious about this as he is?"

"I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't love him, if that's what you mean," Justin defended.

Patrick Sr.'s face softened. "Good to know," he clapped Justin on the back. Before Justin could say anything, Donna and Pat came back.

"It's a lovely house, boys," Donna commented, eyes going straight to Pat's dad.

"Well, duh. You helped me buy it," Pat rolled his eyes. "We just set it up nice."

"That's what I meant, Patrick," Donna rolled her eyes. "Justin, that's some very nice artwork in the other room."

Justin smiled. "You think so?"

"Yes, it's very nice. I didn't know you painted," she replied.

"You paint?" Patrick Sr. asked.

"Not really. I do sometimes, but it's been a while," Justin explained.

"You should come see it, dad," Pat smiled, urging his dad to follow him. To Justin's relief, he agreed and went on Pat's little tour. Once again, though, that left Justin alone with a parent.

"He wasn't too hard on you, was he?" Donna asked.

Justin shrugged. "He asked if I was serious about Pat," he answered.

"And?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. And I know how important family is and I understand why he asked," Justin answered.

Donna smiled at that answer. "You're a very nice boy, Justin. I'm happy for the two of you."

"Thanks," Justin smiled back.

"Smart, athletic, and artistic," Pat's dad said, coming back into the kitchen, "If only he wasn't the enemy."

"Dad," Pat groaned.

"I'm just playing," he defended. "It's nice meeting you, Justin."

"Likewise, Sir," Justin replied, shaking his hand once more.

"Are you always this polite, or just with us?" Patrick Sr. asked.

"With most people," Justin admitted.

"It's actually annoying," Pat chimed in, "Justin makes me look bad in front of the guys sometimes."

"Well, you need a little more humility, Pat," his father replied.

"I have plenty. And I'm very polite, I'll have you know."

"Probably rubbed off from Justin, though," Patrick Sr. joked. If Pat had known he would be the one receiving end of the criticism, he would have invited his sisters as well.

Still, they were getting along and that's all that really mattered. Not long after, they said their goodbyes and once again Pat and Justin were alone in their house.

"Verdict?" Pat asked.

"Your parents are nice," Justin answered.

"Told you they don't bite!"

"First of all, I never said they bite; I said they might not like me. Secondly, you were right about it being fine."

"I love that you'll admit being wrong," Pat smiled.

"So I'm a better boyfriend than Jonny would be?" Justin asked.

"Dude, no comparison," Pat answered. "The only thing Toews has going for him is that ass. He is so not boyfriend material."

"Awesome," Justin replied. "Does Tazer know you check his ass out?"

"Of course, I'm not a creeper," Pat answered.

"Whatever," Justin nodded.

"Sorry they kind of grilled you about your family," Pat said, knowing it wasn't an easy subject.

"It's alright. It's not like we don't get along or I don't see them," Justin answered.

"I know that, but maybe I should've told them you aren't out to them," Pat suggested.

"Pat, stop worrying. I love you and that's all they need to know. Maybe I'll be able to tell my parents sometime, but I just don't think it’s a good idea right now," Justin explained.

"I know, Justin. I wasn't trying to say-" Pat started, getting cut off by Justin's mouth.

"I love you, Patrick," Justin interrupted.

"You, too," Pat replied. Justin kept Pat in his arms for a few minutes, until they walked to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

"So, my sisters can come next week?" Pat asked, biting his lip.

"We're never going to have summer to ourselves, are we?" Justin laughed.

"We would have more time if you weren’t in school,” Pat tried. “Okay, fine, but they've wanted to meet you for a very long time," Pat said innocently.

"Mhm," Justin rolled his eyes. "Fine, but after that the summer is ours."

"You're the best!" Pat replied. Justin couldn't say no to seeing Pat that happy. And Pat really was that happy.

Justin should have guessed that moving to Buffalo meant he'd never have his summer without Pat's family. But as long as they got time to themselves, that wasn't such a bad thing. 


End file.
